Eva Newman

Eva Layne Newman was born to Walter Fitzgerald Layne and Rebecca (St. Hill) Layne on March 4, 1928, in Camaguey, Cuba. She migrated to Florida in 1956 and later relocated to New York. Eva and Arthur Newman, her future husband, met in Massachusetts round about this time.

Arthur and Eva married in 1964, and the couple settled down in the Boston area. Both were quite active in the Spanish-speaking, immigrant church movement in Massachusetts. The couple were also avid travelers, visiting many tourist sites such as Niagara Falls in Canada/New York among others across the United States and Central America—including Honduras. Arthur’s sudden passing in 1978 devasted Eva; however, she persisted, carrying through with most of the dreams she had shared with the love of her life. Later, in the fall of Arthur’s death, Elizabeth went off to college, to faraway Hesston, Kansas, to study nursing, with Eva’s support and encouragement.

Detail-oriented, Eva worked at Instron, an advanced instrumentation company, for twenty years. Upon retiring in 1990, she travelled extensively—Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe—just as she and her beloved Arthur had dreamed about. Then, with the advent of grandchildren, she decided to move to Wichita, Kansas in 1991. She bought a house on Jamesburg—just a skip and a hop from her daughter’s on Westport—and had her household stuff transported all the way from Mattapan to her new home!

In her grandma mode, Eva supported Elizabeth and Clem with childcare in innumerable ways, from seeing the children off to school—once they were old enough to catch the school bus on their own—to arriving in time to welcome them home at the end of the school day. Her grandchildren: Justin, Victoria, and Miles benefitted greatly from her grandmotherly presence in their formative years. Eva was that rare grandma who cooked, sewed, and cleaned.

For many years, the family would gather at her home every Thanksgiving and Christmas. This was our great, familial tradition. As time passed, we were finally able to wrestle Thanksgiving away from her, moving it to our home! It cannot be overstated what a great cook Eva was—she just loved to host and entertain. The empanadas were her specialty, the secrets of which she later passed on to Victoria!

When the grandchildren grew older, Eva volunteered with charitable organizations. She served Wichita’s City Food Bank for five years. Around this time, she also took up quilting: every grandchild, and most of the great-grandchildren, owns a personalized quilt bearing Eva’s signature on the backside. While she was proud of each of her grandchildren, she simply adored her great-grandchildren!

Eva so loved that “Old Time” religion that she was a Choir member in most of the churches she attended. When she could no longer attend Church in person, she watched services regularly on TV. Eva lived a full life—32 years of it on her own in Wichita, Kansas—well into her 90’s! But after driving almost every weekend to check on her, she was finally convinced to move in with her family in Olathe, Kansas. For three years she lived with them until her health began to visibly fail. The family settled on Antioch Senior Living Center. However, her health continued to decline until Hospice became involved at the tail end.

Then, on August 21, 2026, Eva Layne Newman, passed away peacefully. She was surrounded by her daughter, granddaughter, and son-in-law. The previous day, her very last words to her daughter, Elizabeth, had been “Thank You, Thank You.”

Eva is survived by:

Daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth Grace (Newman) Ukaoma, and her husband, Dr. Clem Ukaoma of Olathe, Kansas;

Grandson, Mr. Justin Lawrence Ukaoma, and his wife, Veah, and great-grandsons, SJ and Ziggy of Tulsa, Oklahoma; Granddaughter, Mrs. Victoria Rose, and her husband, Brad, and great-granddaughters, Zion, Okalani, and Shiloh of Kansas City, Kansas; Grandson, Mr. Miles Arthur Ukaoma, and his wife, Queen, great-granddaughter, Amira, and great-grandson, Isaiah; Niece, Ms. Becky Layne, of New York, Nephew, Mr. George Wilson Layne, of New York And countless great nieces and great nephews.

Family Members Preceding Eva in Death: Father, Walter Layne; Mother, Rebecca Layne; Husband, Arthur Newman, (August 13, 1978); Brother Willy Layne; Sister, Teresa Layne; Sister, Cleofe’ Layne, and; Brother, Felix Layne.

A Celebration of her Life will be 3:00pm Friday, September 4, 2026 at Penwell Gabel Funeral Home. A reception will follow the service. In honor of Eva, the family request that bright colors be worn to the Celebration!

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